Cost of maintaining and operating a house in Poland

Cost of maintaining and operating a house in Poland

Maintenance and operation of a house in Poland, on average, costs 1325 zlotys. This amount has grown throughout 2021, and especially in 2022. Against this background, 2023 brought noticeable calm, although expenses became even higher than they were a year ago. It is also difficult to expect a reduction in the cost of living in 2024 in the face of a rapidly rising minimum wage or the potential disappearance of at least some of the anti-inflation measures.

Maintenance and operation of a house in Poland, on average, costs 1325 zlotys. This amount has grown throughout 2021, and especially in 2022. Against this background, 2023 brought noticeable calm, although expenses became even higher than they were a year ago. It is also difficult to expect a reduction in the cost of living in 2024 in the face of a rapidly rising minimum wage or the potential disappearance of at least some of the anti-inflation measures.

Estimated costs for maintenance, equipment and running a house in Poland in 2021 – 2023.

The Poles note that at least recent months have not brought sharp increases in the cost of maintaining and operating a house.

If we stick to the statistical example of a family of three, then in November 2023 compared to January 2023, the costs of maintaining and operating a house increased by a little more than 20 zlotys (about 1-2%). For comparison, at the peak of recent inflation, the annual increase in property maintenance costs exceeded 20%. After such a sharp increase, some calm came.

In 2022, faced with a sharp rise in the cost of living, Poles have reduced the cost of maintaining real estate. This was the result not only of belt tightening, but also of a mild winter, which reduced fuel consumption. If not for these savings, the cost of maintaining the property would be 40-50 zlotys higher (3-4%).

In practice, this means that the rent for the apartment is included in the stated amount to a very small extent. This is because most Poles live in real estate that they own. Only 4-5% of citizens are tenants who pay rent on market terms (over the past 12 months it has increased by an average of 20-25%). Plus 11-12% of citizens are tenants of apartments with reduced rent (for example, municipal, corporate apartments or TBS apartments).

The above figures completely ignore the situation of people who are paying off home loans. These costs are not taken into account by statistical authorities in their calculations. Simply put, we can assume that the above calculations show the costs of maintaining and furnishing a home, and not purchasing it. If a person is a renter or has a loan, then his monthly expenses can be several times higher.

Thus, the overall level of home maintenance and operating costs is not a perfect measure, which does not mean that information that better fits this situation cannot be found in official data. This can be achieved using data on price changes for certain categories of goods and services.

For heat from the city network (for example, to heat water in many Polish homes) you need to pay more than 20% more than a year ago. It's the same with electricity. Gas has become more than 15% more expensive than in the same period in 2022.

On the other hand, after many months of rising prices for almost everything you need to live, there are things whose prices have held steady. This applies, for example, to furniture, decor and lighting. In November 2023, we were pleased with the reduction in fuel prices by more than 25%.

This category includes coal, fuel oil and firewood. Of course, coal was the most expensive commodity last year. The price per ton of black gold in October 2023 was 36.6% of the price a year ago. This is undoubtedly some consolation, although we must not forget that in 2022 the price of coal has risen exponentially.

Source: website propertynews.pl